President Aliyev: Azerbaijan has good opportunities to further boost regional importance

Tue 13 February 201818:45 GMT | 22:45 Local Time

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Ensuring security in Azerbaijan, environment of friendship and multiculturalism create good opportunities for further increasing the country’s importance in the region, President Ilham Aliyev said Feb. 13 at a meeting with a delegation led by Wolfgang Buechele, chairman of Germany’s Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations.

Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan has really turned into a regional center from the economic and political points of view, Trend reports.

Noting that important international events are taking place in Azerbaijan with the participation of representatives from near and far abroad, the Azerbaijani president stressed that the country is becoming an important energy center of the region.

Multi-billion investments have been put in global energy projects implemented at the initiative of Azerbaijan, he said.

Noting that Azerbaijan has become a transport center of the region, President Aliyev said cargoes from Asia to Europe and back are already being transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, launched last year.

The head of state said the favorable geographical location of Azerbaijan, ensuring security in the country, hospitality of people, the environment of friendship and multiculturalism in the country, high-standard hotels and recreation centers, as well as modern airports create good opportunities for further increase of Azerbaijan’s importance in the region.

He added that this year the projects on metro construction will be implemented again.

President Aliyev stressed that the oil and gas sector of Azerbaijan has great prospects, which will suffice for the next decades, and said there are ample opportunities for the activity of foreign companies in this sector.

He added that the development of tourism in Azerbaijan is in the center of attention, and stressed that this sector is developing not only in Baku, but also in the districts.

He said a 24 percent growth was observed in tourist visits to Azerbaijan in 2016, while a 20 percent growth was observed last year, and in January this year there was a 17 percent growth.

From this point of view, the region of Azerbaijan where once Germans settled, can be an interesting destination for German tourists, and there are good opportunities for cooperation in this direction, Ilham Aliyev said.